Waikato Hospital

Buses serving Waikato Hospital are the Orbiter, Comet, route 24 Te Awamutu and route 25 the Taumarunui Health Bus.

While the Orbiter’s route does not come through Hamilton’s Transport Centre in the CBD – the Comet, Te Awamutu and Taumarunui services do.

The Taumarunui Health Bus serves Taumarunui, Te Kuiti and Waikato Hospitals and also stops in Otorohanga.

The Orbiter, Comet and Te Awamutu services pick-up and drop off at the hospital from bus stops on Pembroke St whereas the Taumarunui Health Bus picks-up and drops off outside the main hospital entrance on Hague Rd.

For bus timetable and route details: 

0800 205 305
www.busit.co.nz

Taumarunui Health Bus

Did you know if you live in Taumarunui or Te Kuiti and have a medical appointment at Waikato Hospital you can travel to your appointment on the Taumarunui Health Bus?

Return trips on the bus for people attending appointments at Waikato Hospital are free, just show your appointment letter to the bus driver when you board the bus outside the main entrance at Taumarunui Hospital or when boarding at Te Kuiti Hospital.

The bus leaves Taumarunui Hospital Monday to Friday at 8 am and departs Te Kuiti Hospital at 9.05 am.

The trip from Taumarunui to Hamilton takes about three hours and the bus leaves Waikato Hospital on the return journey at 3.30 pm, arriving in Te Kuiti at 5 pm and Taumarunui at 6 pm.

Though the bus service is also available to the public, health care clients take priority on the service and appointments can be booked at Waikato Hospital to fit around the arrival and departure times of the bus service.

Get in touch

Taumarunui Hospital
Taumarunui Bus patient bookings - Mon – Fri (excl. public holidays) Waikato & Taumarunui Hospitals coordinate passenger lists.   07 839 8899 ext. 96125 or 07 896 0020

Te Kuiti Hospital
Taumarunui Bus patient bookings -  Mon – Fri (excl. public holidays) Waikato & Taumarunui Hospitals coordinate passenger lists 07 839 8899 ext. 96125 or 07 896 0020

Timetable

 
Map

These are Waikato DHB-funded services staffed by volunteers, and are for transport to and from health appointments and admissions. They are sometimes referred to as community health shuttles, community buses or vans, or community health transport providers.

• Pre-booking is important.
• Please contact the service you need as early as possible to make a booking.

Click here below:
List of community health transport providers [PDF, 99 KB]

Walking and biking routes have been developed around Hamilton over many years resulting in a growing interconnected network that makes Waikato Hospital more accessible to walkers and cyclists.

Hamilton’s extensive network of walking and biking routes is used daily by commuters and families and we encourage people to consider biking if travelling to work or when visiting Waikato Hospital. There are a number of bike parking facilities at various entrances around the hospital for staff and public use.

Bike parking is at the owner’s risk, so remember to lock your bike securely.

Cycle racks for the public are located:

1. Via Gate 2 off Pembroke St, alongside the Emergency Department by the Security Office 2. Via Gate 2 off Pembroke St, outside the entrance to the Wairoa Waikato Centre.

Mobility car parks are available to anyone visiting or working at Waikato Hospital who displays a valid mobility parking permit issued by CCS Disability Action. Permit holders are exempt from paid parking.

Designated mobility spaces are located near the entrance of all hospital buildings as well as the Pembroke St and Hague Rd carpark buildings.

There are free drop-off zones outside the hospital’s main entrance on Hague Rd, the Emergency Department at Gate 2 off Pembroke St and the entrance to the Elizabeth Rothwell Building for labouring women at Gate 5, also off Pembroke St.

Volunteers will be on hand at the main entrance during the day to help people who are dropped off find their way to appointments.

Gate 2, Pembroke Street

Hague Road Carpark

 ‘Haerenga Pai - Ways To Go’ is our travel and access plan, to provide sustainable travel options and help make travelling to and from Waikato Hospital easy.

A 2021 survey showed 62 percent of patients and visitors and 70 percent of our staff travelled to hospital in their own car and a large number of those found the experience stressful.

Since then we have been working to improve our available travel options to reduce reliance on cars, parking facilities, and to take the stress out of travelling to Waikato Hospital.

Please explore the various travel options available to your area, including some which are free, and choose the one which fits you best.

The options may have changed since your last visit as the Haerenga Pai programme is underway.

Some of the recent changes include:

• Working with partners to maintain the 50% discount for staff, consumers and visitors travelling to and from Waikato Hospital by bus when the Government’s subsidy finishes in January 2023
• Bus routes and timetables being aligned to better reflect the shifts of staff at the hospital
• Better alignment of our patient appointment booking system with the Community Health Transport providers’ [PDF, 99 KB] timetables
• Providing updated and accessible maps for those planning to walk or ride to the hospital
• Expansion of our support for community health transport providers including providing a further travel option for Māori via the Waikato Māori Wardens service 
• Provided new parking facilities for the use of community health transport operators
• Introduction of public bicycle stands outside Waikato Hospital’s Emergency Department and the Pembroke St entrance
• Expanded the three secure staff bicycle storage facilities
• The planned introduction of carpooling and guaranteed ride home programmes for staff